


My Happy Place

by Claudina



Series: Home is Where the Honey is [5]
Category: Persona 5
Genre: I just want Akira to make Goro happy ok, I'm deep in this hell, M/M, shameless fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-08
Updated: 2017-06-08
Packaged: 2018-11-11 08:46:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,805
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11144964
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Claudina/pseuds/Claudina
Summary: Collecting bits of information that Goro Akechi said over coffee had become a habit for Akira Kurusu, and when Akechi mentioned one day that he had never been to the amusement park, Akira immediately knew that he had to bring the detective there.





	My Happy Place

**Author's Note:**

> I'm back with more Shuake fluff because I'm trash, guys. I've been writing a large amount of Shuake fics recently; it's crazy. A lot of them are still in-progress, though, so I can't release them yet, but I hope that you guys are enjoying the ones I've published thus far :) as always, I'm very grateful for the support and the feedback. It makes me so happy to see you commenting and enjoying my writing. Thank you so much again for staying with me and my Shuake fics!

Akira Kurusu was used to all kinds of confessions from his patrons. He didn’t serve up alcoholic drinks, no, but his patrons still poured their hearts out on him anyway, obviously thinking that a pair of listening ears were the side order that came with their caffeinated drinks. Akira, for the most part, didn’t quite mind it. A lot of things that he heard were either dull or harmless or overly convoluted; neither the stories nor the people tickled his interest. After all, his job was to simply keep his patrons happy and collect the money, not to be a therapist. As long as no one complained about his service, Akira was fine letting the people ramble on and on.

Goro Akechi was his only exception.

Charming, witty, a tiny bit vulnerable and a little bit dangerous, Goro Akechi was an interesting case. Akira couldn’t quite pinpoint the reason, but he could never get enough of Akechi and his musings. He thought that it was probably because Akechi didn’t talk as much as the other patrons did; he only let the tiniest slivers of secrets spill out, and over time, Akira became obsessed with collecting them and arranging them around in his mind like a puzzle. He never had quite enough to make a big picture, so he collected everything carefully, picking up the pieces like they were jewels, hoping that one day, he would be able to understand Akechi better. The problem was that Akechi always delivered all kinds of unexpected information about himself nonchalantly, never due to any provocation, but always clamming up before he spoke too much.

It was just so irresistible: one taste and then it was gone. It kept him wanting more, embarrassing as it sounded.

It happened again one Saturday morning. Akira was grinding a spoon of coffee beans for another patron’s drink when Akechi stopped stirring with his spoon and suddenly piped out of nowhere, “I have never been to the amusement park.”

Akira looked up so fast that he almost spilled the ground coffee he was collecting, but managed to maintain his cool. He quickly poured the prepared powder into a press and added boiling water before staring at Akechi more calmly, thinking of a good reply to his statement. Akechi looked up at him and laughed, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes and sounded strained. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to make you feel weird.”

Slipping the new piece of information into his mind carefully, Akira only nodded and glided away to tidy his thoughts, unsure of where this new part of the puzzle would fit in. Akechi sipped on his drink in silence, caramel head bobbing softly to the tune that emanated from the wall speakers. His fingers tapped on the wooden counter to the beats and a slight smile bloomed on his lips. He promptly stood up once he finished his drink.

“I better get going. Thank you for the coffee.” For once, Akechi didn’t linger around, even though it was the weekend. He dug into his pocket and counted some coins before placing them beside his now-empty cup. Akira gathered the payment and closed the bill.

After the till closed with a ding, Akira looked up and saw Akechi walk slowly outside Leblanc’s windows, shoulders slumped, looking slightly crestfallen. It was such a sombre sight that the black-haired boy felt pained just watching it. He immediately knew what he wanted to do. Casting a quick glance around the café to ensure that he had served all of his customers, he ran out of the coffee shop and called out to Akechi.

“Hey, you. Let’s go to the amusement park. Tomorrow. I’ll wait for you at the station at nine.”

The words tumbled out of his lips like water rushing out of a faulty dam and Akira could feel his cheeks burning right after he pursed his lips. He felt forward; he had never hung out with Akechi before and they weren’t exactly _friends_ , but he just couldn’t help it somehow, and he could only cross his fingers that Akechi wouldn’t laugh in his face.

His prayer was answered because Akechi only stared at him blankly, but the bad news was that he seemed to be thoroughly confused by the proposition. It was only a while later that he managed to mutter, “Are you…serious?”

There was a hint of surprise in his voice, like he couldn’t believe it. The silence that followed was a little awkward, but Akira saw his chance and ran away with it. He nodded vigorously, a little more enthusiastic than he was hoping to be but he shut down his embarrassment before it caused his cheeks to turn even redder. His heart pounded so loudly in his ribcage that he could hear the sound of his own blood cruising inside.

“I’ll meet you tomorrow at the station, then,” Akechi replied cheerfully, but his eyes softened, betraying the mirth in his voice. With that, he turned around and walked away, and when he had rounded the corner and disappeared into the crowd, Akira couldn’t help but grin stupidly.

He had no idea why, but he was so happy. The sun felt warmer and brighter. The neighbour’s flowers smelled sweeter. The colour of Leblanc’s front door looked prettier than ever. Even the agitated meow of a chubby old cat passing by was like music to his ears. Happy, he was oh-so- _happy_. Tomorrow would be even better, he thought. He tuned the rest of the world out for the entire day, impatiently waiting for the next sunrise to come.

 

* * *

 

Akira was early; his clock showed that it was a quarter before nine when he reached the nearest station to the amusement park. A few people milled around, but it was relatively empty otherwise. People did sleep in on Sundays, after all. It was good, though, he thought. It meant that he and Akechi wouldn’t have to deal with an insane amount of crowd once they reached the amusement park.

Akechi showed up a little later, wearing a sweater that looked a little too expensive and formal for an outing at the amusement park. Akira decided to not comment on that, though; partly because it was rude, but mostly because the brunette looked _great_ in that.

Akechi gave him a smile and said, “Well then, shall we go?”

Once they got to the amusement park, they got their tickets relatively quickly, all thanks to them arriving so early. Only a few other people were around: a few couples holding hands, some eager kids with their flustered parents, a group of high-school girls giggling and chattering loudly and the snack vendors selling some sweets. There were a few food trucks near the entrance, and Akira couldn’t help but notice how Akechi’s eyes lit up when he saw the one cart which hawked mini pancakes.

“Do you want to get some?” Akira asked. The sparkle in Akechi’s eyes when he turned to face Akira was the only answer they needed.

They walked around with a bag of mini pancakes on hand, looking at the bright colours of various rides. On their left was a spinning teacup and on their right was a boat ride. Overhead, the rollercoaster whizzed by, leaving a trail of screams behind. A loud jingle emanated from where the train ride was, just a little further from where they were standing. Colourful lights pulsed energetically all over the place.

“So, which one would you recommend?” Akechi asked, still busy munching on the mini cakes. He tilted his head in such a way that it did funny things to Akira’s stomach, and the bespectacled boy had to gulp a little.

“Let’s take the boat first,” he decided absently, still trying to calm himself down. “I hope you like boats.”

“The last time I took a boat, it capsized,” Akechi remarked. He saw Akira turning white, so he laughed and added, “I guess this one’s safe, though!”

“I guess so,” Akira replied, a little mortified. “You can hold onto me if you want to.”

Akira immediately realised how wrong it could have sounded and wished that the ground would just swallow him whole. _Good lord._ Akechi was really doing funny things to him; he felt like he forgot how to function. Akechi, in return, only smiled and said calmly, “I’ll probably squish you flat if I do, so can I hold your hand instead?”

The black-haired boy didn’t think that he could be more flustered, but here he was, standing right in front of the boat ride, cheeks on fire even though the morning air was still cold. He could only nod and march mechanically towards where the entrance was. Akechi trailed behind him a little, his presence announced only by the tapping of his shoes.

The staff sat them down in pairs. It was a good thing that they had to sit in rows, with Akira’s back facing Akechi, because Akira didn’t think that he could handle looking at Akechi in the eyes right now. The gate opened and their boat moved along the canal, various plants surrounding them along the way.

They were nearing the end of the ride when Akira realised that the route took them towards a falling waterfall. He wanted to warn Akechi, who seemed to be oblivious to the impending peril, but the waves suddenly sped up and before he could say any warning, their boat was propelled to the air, the pool underneath approaching fast as they plummeted down. They landed with a loud splash, water spraying everywhere, and Akira found himself in a state of half-shock, his glasses blurred by the water that soaked them both. He couldn’t quite see around him, but he could feel a pair of hands holding his shoulders.

“Sorry,” Akechi whispered awkwardly before letting go of Akira. “The boat just went off the track for a moment and I thought that it was going to tumble over, so I thought to grab your hand, but I couldn’t find it, so…”

Akira wiped his glasses down with his now-wet shirt and turned to look at Akechi. The brunette was also soaked; his hair was matted down by the splashing and his sweater—the one which looked too expensive for a casual outing—was thoroughly drenched as well. Akira could only stare, horrified.

“I’m sorry,” was all that he could say as they boarded off the boat. Akechi tilted his head at him again, this time with a quizzical gaze, and Akira quite wished that he would stop doing that because those puppy-dog eyes were too much. But at the same time, he wished that Akechi wouldn’t stop doing that because that look was _great_ on him.

At any rate, that was the least of Akira’s problems now. He wrung his shirt and looked at Akechi apologetically.

“Sorry for what?” Akechi replied as he squeezed some water out of his clothes just like Akira did.

Akira sighed. “For suggesting that we should take the boat ride first. We’re now wet and soggy, and we still have the entire park to cover.”

“Don’t be. I’m sure that we will get dry eventually. The sun will be out soon.”

Akira could only nod. Akechi, who seemed to be in high spirits today, grinned and said, “Come on, let’s go to the next attraction! At least the boat didn’t capsize, you know.” A laughter followed, and it was honestly refreshing and a little astonishing to see Akechi laughing at his own inside joke.

They were walking towards the 3D screening place when Akira saw a cart selling T-shirts and merchandises of one of the popular mascots. An idea popped in his mind and he immediately told Akechi, “Wait here. I got an idea.”

“Where are you going?”

Akechi’s words were a murmur in the background as Akira dashed towards the vendor and got two T-shirts for him and Akechi. When he was back, he handed one to the puzzled boy, and said, “We can change into these first. Wet clothes are not really comfortable.”

Akechi unfolded his T-shirt and saw a print of an egg lazing on top of a bowl of rice. He couldn’t help but burst out laughing. He glanced at Akira’s and saw that his also had the same egg, but with a bacon blanket. He laughed even harder.

They went into the changing room and swapped their clothes for the new T-shirts. When they emerged, Akechi couldn’t help but quip, “We’re wearing matching T-shirts and spending a Sunday together at an amusement park. Are we, like, dating now?”

Once again, Akira felt his cheeks burst into flames. He had always known that Akechi was charming and pleasant, but he didn’t suspect that the boy would be so forward in his flirting...was he flirting, really, or was he just joking around? Akira tried to rummage through his brain, trying to cook up a witty reply, but all that he could say was, “Maybe?”

Akechi’s smile turned into an amused smirk and he said, “Okay, honey.”

Later, when Akira thought about it again in the darkness as the 3D movie was played, he couldn’t help but grin idiotically. Honey had such a nice ring to it, somehow. It was dumb and Akechi was probably just being playful, but he thought that he liked the way Akechi said it. From where he was sitting, he glanced sideways at where Akechi stealthily, trying his hardest to not make it too obvious. Even through the red-and-blue tint of his 3D glasses, he could see how happy Akechi seemed to be, and it made his heart leap.

Dating or not, it was a Sunday well-spent.

If only every Sunday was as pleasant as this one.

 

* * *

 

They finally cleared the park when it was almost the closing time. Their wet clothes had dried up somewhat, though both of them agreed that those were still too damp to wear, and so they stuck to wearing their matching T-shirts throughout. Children holding balloons passed by them as they walked towards the exit, and Akechi revealed casually, “I liked balloons too when I was young."

As usual, Akira hastily filed this information into his brain, but this time, he managed to notice something and say, “Liked?”

“I apparently stepped on one of them one day and it burst loudly under my foot. Never really liked them much ever since,” Akechi explained. Akira imagined little Akechi looking petrified from an exploding balloon and he couldn’t help but snicker.

“That’s quite a trauma, all right.”

Akechi chuckled, but it was half-hearted. “Yeah, one on the long list of my childhood traumas.” He was silent after that, gazing emptily at a kid babbling at his parents. Akira felt like he had overstepped a boundary. A heavy weight twisted in his stomach.

When he finally spoke to break the silence, he chose to reveal the thought that had been stewing on his mind, “You’ve got anywhere else you want to go? Next Sunday?”

Again, Akechi tilted his head at him, and Akira felt his lungs stop breathing at the sight. The brunette whispered softly, “Actually, another boat ride would be great.”

“You’re no longer afraid of capsizing?”

Akechi’s lips curled into a smile. “Got that trauma sorted out today. I got a hand to hold, after all.” It was another inside joke he could laugh at, because that smile soon gave way to a hearty laughter. Realising that the joke was meant to be shared between them, Akira laughed as well, thinking how nice it was that Akechi seemed to be opening up to him.

“Okay, let’s go to the park, then. We can get on the canoe there.”

Akechi poked his arm playfully. “So, is it going to be a proper date this time?”

Akira couldn’t say no even if he wanted to. However, with whatever little wit he had left, he told Akechi, “I guess we’ll see. A boat ride can be either romantic or disastrous; I’m sure you know this all too well.”

To Akira’s surprise, Akechi took his hand and declared, “I’ll hold your hand and I won’t let go, then. Not even if we capsize. I’ll make it _romantic._ ” He emphasised the last word with an eyebrow wiggle. It looked ridiculous but it made both of them laugh again.

They were still laughing when they walked through the exit. Akira walked ahead a little faster, beckoning Akechi to follow him, hands still interlinked and their fingers wrapped around each other’s like a prayer. _I’ll bring you to places you’ve never been,_ he thought, and meanwhile, deep down inside, he felt that Akechi had brought him to a place he had never been: a happy place where only the two of them existed, and it was wherever he was with him.

**Author's Note:**

> A cookie for you if you caught that the T-shirts had Gudetama prints on them :D here's a little outtake that I couldn't fit into the full prose properly, but I thought that some people would've liked it:
> 
> _"You know, Morgana trained you well," Akechi said, still looking amusedly at the sleeping egg with a bacon blanket on Akira's T-shirt. Akira tugged at his own clothes to see what Akechi was talking about._   
>  _"How so?"_   
>  _"It said, 'five more minutes,' you know. Wasn't Morgana training you to be a slugabed?"_


End file.
